Camouflage/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, is in his kitchen. He is being watched from above with infrared equipment. Electronic crosshairs zero in on him, and the words "Acquiring Target" and then "Target Acquired" appear in computer-generated font. Tim looks upward, where a robot, Moby, is clinging with his back against the kitchen ceiling. Moby is the same white color as the ceiling. He then changes into his normal orange color and falls to the floor. TIM: Ah! Tim steps out of the way, just in time, as Moby crashes. TIM: Huh. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Why do animals use camouflage? From, Zed. Camouflage is the ability to blend in with your environment. Most of us are familiar with the camouflage uniforms used by the military. Three images show soldiers dressed in different colors of camouflage. TIM: These uniforms are inspired by the natural camouflage of animals. Most animals have evolved protective coloration to blend in with their environments. Images show a brown deer blending in with a wooded environment and a white owl blending in with a snowy environment. TIM: Some of them even change their color with the seasons. An animation shows a fox and a rabbit becoming white as the woods around them become covered with snow. TIM: Animals use camouflage for two main reasons: to help them get food and to keep from becoming food. Images show a frog capturing an insect and a second insect escaping a bird's attention by looking like a leaf. TIM: There's no question that camouflage increases an animal's chances of survival. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The zebra we saw last? Oh, yeah. Well, stripes are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration. An image shows a zebra standing in a field of tall grass. TIM:Disruptive coloration is a pattern that makes it hard to see the outline of an object. It works really well for herds, because predators have a tough time singling out individual animals. An animation shows a herd of zebra passing through a patch of tall grass as a lion looks on, disinterested. TIM:Some animals blend in with countershading. Penguins are black on their backs and white on their bellies. An animation shows a colony of penguins on icy rocks. One of them jumps into the water and swims beneath the surface. TIM:When they swim, their black backs blend in with the darker water below, protecting them from predators above. An image shows a bird's eye view of the penguin swimming. Its black back makes him hard to see from above. A second image shows a seal trying unsuccessfully to spot a penguin swimming beneath him. TIM:And looking into the sun, predators below the penguin see its white belly as part of the water. An image shows a whale looking upward at the swimming penguin. A second image shows the penguin's white belly from the whale's point of view. The belly blends in with the sunlight shining upon the water. MOBY:Beep. TIM:Yep. Animals with countershading can almost disappear into their environments. Two images show the swimming penguin from both above and below, demonstrating its countershading from both points of view. MOBY:Beep. TIM: Right. Some animals can change color quickly to blend in with new backgrounds. An animation shows a brownish squid swimming underwater. Within seconds, it changes to the same varied colors as its background. TIM:These animals have specialized skin cells called chromatophores. A close-up shows the squid's special color-changing skin cells. TIM:A lot of animals with chromatophores don't just camouflage themselves. They also use their color-changing abilities to communicate their mood. Tim and Moby stand together in their kitchen. A green chameleon skitters across the kitchen counter and stops in front of them. Moby teases the chameleon by touching its nose, and the animal frowns and turns yellow. TIM:Well, that's not good. MOBY:Beep. TIM:Yes, I'm sure. MOBY:Beep. Moby reaches for the chameleon again. TIM:Hey, Moby. I'm pretty sure! Moby touches the chameleon's nose. It bites his finger. MOBY:Beep! TIM:Well, you did poke him. Moby frowns. MOBY:Beep. TIM:Hey, what were you doing up on the ceiling, anyway? Moby shrugs.Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Science Transcripts